Player Notes

Leonard is currently being bothered by a knee injury, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Recommendation: Leonard should be able to play through the injury, as he scored in double digits in every game of the second round against the Warriors. There is only mild cause for concern here, barring a setback.

Copeland will "absolutely" play increased minutes going forward, according to Coach Mike Woodson.
Recommendation: Copeland scarcely played in the Knicks' first round series against Boston and played a playoff-high 19 minutes in Thursday's Game 5 victory over the Pacers. The 29-year-old rookie scored 13 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3 Pt) and made some key hustle plays to spark a run in the second half. More time for Copeland will likely mean less for Jason Kidd and Amare Stoudemire.

Smith (illness) scored just 13 points on 4-for-11 from the field in Thursday's Game 5 win against the Pacers. He added six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block.
Recommendation: While Smith has not missed a game in the series due to his illness, it is evident that he is being affected by it. He has yet to have a game shooting better than 37 percent from the field and has failed to reach 20 points in a single game so far. He will need to find his rhythm if the Knicks hope to advance.

George scored 23 points (7-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-10 FT) to go with six rebounds, six assists and one steal in Thursday's Game 5 loss to the Knicks.
Recommendation: The Pacers had an opportunity to close out the series, but George's struggles on offense handicapped the Pacers on the road. Look for George to bounce back strong in Game 6.

Thompson struggled in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Spurs, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-12 from the field.
Recommendation: Thompson has been hit-or-miss in the series against the Spurs, playing rather inconsistently even for his standards. The Warriors could have used his offensive firepower, but the sophomore wing failed to shoot better than 39 percent over the Warriors' last four games. Hopefully, he will head into the offseason working on other aspects of his game, so that he can find a way to contribute, even when his shot isn't falling.

Shumpert (knee) said he feels "fine" and he didn't feel any pain in Game 4, ESPN New York reports.
Recommendation: The Knicks are facing elimination in Game 5, so look for Shumpert to play without restrictions as the Knicks struggle to stay alive in the series.

Deng (illness) did not travel with the Bulls and will miss Wednesday's Game 5 at Miami, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Recommendation: The absence marks Deng's seventh consecutive in what will likely be the Bulls' final contest of the season. It's unfortunate that a random illness derailed his postseason as well as Chicago's attempts to pull a massive upset over Miami, but he'll look to regain strength as the offseason progresses.

Lee played 25 minutes per game during the regular season but saw a total of just 19 minutes in the Celtics' final five playoff games.
Recommendation: Lee ceded minutes to Jordan Crawford and Terrence Williams, neither of whom played well. Lee, who has a tendency to completely disappear on offense, at least knows his limitations as a scorer and limits his shot selection to the most efficient opportunities. Players like Crawford and Jason Terry are far more skilled offensively, although Terry was arguably more disappointing than Lee - at least before the playoffs started. The Celtics have a number of options this offseason, and there is a chance that Lee could end up on his fifth team in six years if the right trade emerges.

Barnes turned in another huge performance in Tuesday's Game 5, finishing with 25 points (10-18 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Recommendation: Barnes surprisingly led the Warriors in field-goal attempts for the second game in a row, while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled all night. Barnes' performance wasn't enough to capture a victory, but his stock is clearly on the rise. He'll try to keep the momentum going in Thursday's Game 6 as the Warriors face elimination.

Landry finished Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Spurs with 16 points (4-7 FG, 8-12 FT), six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Recommendation: Landry started for the third game in a row and chipped in with a solid performance after struggling in Game 4. His per-game numbers during the playoffs -- 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists -- are similar to what he produced during the regular season.

Novak could earn a bit more run in Tuesday's Game 4 at Indiana, as coach Mike Woodson is disappointed with the low number of three-point attempts from Saturday's loss, the New York Post reports.
Recommendation: Novak has garnered just seven garbage minutes in the first three outings of the second-round series, missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. After attempting just 11 shots as a team from deep Saturday, Woodson may in fact trot Novak out there Tuesday to jump start a stagnant Knicks' offense.

Durant scored 27 points (10-27 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT) to go with seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block, but failed to carry the Thunder to a victory in a Game 4 loss to the Grizzlies.
Recommendation: Durant managed to find help offensively in this game, with three other teammates scoring at least 15 points (Kevin Martin 18, Serge Ibaka 17, Reggie Jackson 15). Still, the star was unable to close the game in overtime. The Thunder will need to make some adjustments offensively if they hope to stay alive in the series.

James had another very good performance in Game 4 Monday against the Bulls as he scored 27 points to go along with eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one three-pointer.
Recommendation: James has led the Heat to a 3-1 series lead by scoring at least 24 points in three of the four games of the series. He has also been a great distributor throughout the series as he has recorded at least seven assists in each of the four games.